A six-year-old girl was left in agony after a pharmacist gave her ear drops to treat an eye condition.

Logan Morley suffered burning pain and swollen eyes after using the solution two or three times for her conjunctivitis.

She had been given the correct prescription by an NHS Walk-in Centre in Nottingham, but was wrongly dispensed ear drops at the Boots Pharmacy on the city's Riverside Retail Park, her parents have claimed.

Blunder: Six-year-old Logan Morley (above) suffered burning pain and swollen eyes after she was wrongly given ear drops to treat her conjunctivitis

Logan’s mother, Claire Morley, 31, said: ‘It is ridiculous. I can’t believe they made such a mistake.

‘You never think to check it. You would like to think they had given you the right medicine.’

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

She said the box was marked ear drops, but the prescription sticker, which was signed by two people, had stated eye drops.

Ear drops contain ten times the concentration of the antibacterial chemical, chloramphenicol, than eye solutions.

The drops caused a burning pain and left Logan with bloodshot and swollen eyes.

Wants answers: Logan's mother claims the Boots Pharmacy on the Riverside Retail Park in Nottingham dispensed them ear medication even though the prescription stated eye drops

Her father, Leigh, also found problems when he tried the medication.

Claire added: ‘She said it was burning her and I just thought she was being a bit mardy - that’s why we feel so guilty now.

‘We phoned up NHS Direct and they told us to get Logan to hospital.

‘Who knows what could have happened if we hadn’t realised these were ear drops. We could have kept on giving them to her.’

Logan and Mr Morley, 34, went to the Queen’s Medical Centre and Logan was given cream for her eyes.

Mr Morley, who had also had conjunctivitis, was not as badly affected as he only used the drops once.

Claire added: ‘We haven’t been told what damage there could have been.

‘Every time I try to put the cream into her eyes she gets worried.

‘I’ve tried to contact Boots to complain. This shouldn’t happen.’

Boots UK said: ‘Boots takes patient safety very seriously and has apologised to the family personally for the incorrect supply and for the concern and inconvenience caused.

‘Customers’ health and wellbeing is of great importance to us and we are currently looking into this in more detail.’

Tony Avery, Professor of Primary Care at the University of Nottingham’s Medical School, who conducts research into patient safety, said: ‘The first thing to say is that, overall, the rate of prescription errors in community pharmacies is quite low.

‘It’s less than one in 50, but often we are talking about very, very minor errors.

‘I’m not expert enough to say whether putting it in the eye at this high a dose would be likely to cause problems.

‘But clearly the dose of 0.5 per cent (of chloramphenicol) is designed for the eye, and the membrane of the eye is much more superficial than the ear, and you have got to be aware of how sensitive the eye is.

‘I would be surprised if giving it at five per cent would cause a sight-threatening adverse reaction.’

Share or comment on this article:

Boots pharmacy blunder: Girl, 6, left in agony after being given ear drops to treat an eye condition